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Hello there, so, anybody been to the Ghent six day races?
Thinking of a trip, so where did you get your tickets? Anywhere good to stay? Other tips?
APF
Watches with interest, on my list!
Hi. Been a couple of times. We just stayed in a cheap chain since mostly you are out drinking and eating, plus watching some cycling. Last time (2yrs ago) we went down the coast to watch the Cross world cup in the dune (bloody freezing day!). We went and rode some bergs next day (with worst hangover for years) mixed with Track for two nights. It was a hell of a weekend!
Oh yes.
Tickets?
Eh?.
Drive to Gent, stay in either the Youth Hostel or the Ibis, or the Formula hotel, or where ever you can get in.
Drink Duvel.
Walk across the city to the velodrome.
Pay to get in.
Pay for tokens.
Use tokens to buy more beer.
Watch cycling until dizzy.
Go out and drink more beer.
Wander around the small red light district.
Drink more beer.
Walk back to hotel/YH.
Sleep.
Went last year - its a pretty town (city?) and the atmosphere at the racing is great. Crikey forgot to list burning mouth on awesome but silly hot burgers/ hot dogs. I'd go again
So the city's not full, and you can get tickets on the door? This is what I wanted to hear 🙂
Oh, and beer. Lots and lots of beer 🙂
Thanks for the info. I love this place,
APF
The memory is returning! We stayed in the IBIS the last two times. It's an easy ride out to the canals for a bike ride.
Oh and drinking Belgian Trappist beer at lunchtime then continuing all day gets very messy.
I need to think about going this year!
Don't count on tickets at the door it sells out from time to time
If you're drinking beer from late morning/lunch, save the dubbel and trippel for later in the day. I've had a couple of horrific waking up at 6pm hangovers from them which seem to be a lot better if you get into them towards dinner.
[url= http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3070/3059971376_753b3a5c0e.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/ourfriendsinthenorth/sets/72157631526194701/ ]I went in 2008. More photos here.[/url]
Woo Hoo, ferry and hotel booked 🙂 Thanks all for the advice, and great photos OMITN, thanks.
Now, where to get tickets...
APF
Cheers Hofnar, tickets sorted too.
APF
Thanks to OP and posters - was going to post a similar query as I'm planning on going next year, this will help with the plan
When you get into Het Kuipke you can either take your seat (if you've bought a seated ticket, or just go straight into the track centre.
The track centre is where the fun is. Alex Zabel was racing when I was there (along with Iljo Keisse). My friend disappeared for a while, returning drenched in sweat after having "been with the Zabel fans". I never asked what went on.
Same friend's Rouleur-esque photo:
[url= http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3215/3068142991_350a16560d.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/26915960@N07/3068142991/ ]CNV00013[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/26915960@N07/ ]richardweltman[/url], on Flickr
MMM done Paris-Roubaix and Flanders...this sounds like an ace plan for the next trip!!! Follows thread with interest also ...
So track centre is open to all?
If so, be rude not to get in there and soak up some "atmosphere"!
APF
Yep. It's the party place. Be prepared to be sprayed with beer.
"Proper" racing finishes around midnight, with some more display type stuff until around 2am. Track centre is best before midnight.
We're going this November. We got tickets for the Saturday night from here:
The site is in Dutch / Flemish but if you use Google translate then you should be able to muddle through. We paid an extra Euro to have them posted to us - they arrived about a fortnight ago.
We're Eurostaring - if you get a connecting ticket to any Belgium station you can stop any where in Belgium and it costs the same as a ticket to Brussels.
We're also staying in the IBIS.
Really looking forward to it. Belgian beer, frites and cycling. Ideal weekend away!
Munque-Chick : if we ever cross paths on a DT ride again, I can tell you how it went.
Nerd, I'll be there with my other half on the Sat night too, although we're staying at a different hotel.
Maybe we should get some beers at some point?
APF
Jealous 🙁
Have another photo:
[url= http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3164/3059186731_42d099758c.jp g" target="_blank">
The fat(test) derny rider is the famous Joop Zijlaard. A hero of the six days scene.
Went there for my 40th in 2006, the six is a great experience - you have to buy tokens for beer and sausages and then ensure you use them all - but the night we went ended fairly tragically
Nerd scared now .. who are you 😉 what DT ride did I meet you on ... eek as I haven't been on many this year!!! Looks ace defianetly have to look into that but have about 4 hols planned for next yr already so not sure.
kilo - what happened?
Isaac Galvez hit the barrier and died.
In the madison, during one of the sling changeovers Isaac Galvez went high up the track after an accidental coming together with de Fauw, he hit the barrier around the top of the track side about 10 feet from where Mrs K was sitting (I was looking at the racers past this but she was looking right at him) and died of his injuries on the way to hospital. fing terrible, he slid down the track to the cote d'azur with another rider and the Belgian St John's ambulance just froze, they went to the other rider who had cuts and you could see Galvez's legs twitching away. De Fauw was majorly fed up after this and killed himself a few years later
holy crap!!
Nerd scared now .. who are you
Nerdy-Neil. I haven't been on many rides this year, either.
We are booking this weekend. Can't wait. Looking at one of the evenings itineries the last race starts at 1am! That's a lot of beer, sausage and frites, some major pacing required!!
Anyone know of any good bike hire places in town to take in a ride during the day?
Going on the Sat and Sun night. Standing in track centre on Sat, Seating on Sun.
How much is a token?
My tickets arrived yesterday, from the dutch? website. (Google translate was only partially successful!)
Anyway, they came with a couple of beer vouchers included! I love it!
APF
Yeah! A free voucher per ticket 🙂
I hopefully ordered a couple of tickets last night from the webpage linked above. I got an email with login details to the site but haven't had anything to confirm the purchase. Did anyone who ordered tickets get an email to say it went through? Fingers crossed the tickets will just appear in the post but until I get some confirmation I don't want to book hotel/eurostar.
Thanks
Yeah, I ordered and got a confirmation e-mail from here: info@uitbureau.be
Hope that helps,
APF
Went to my junk folder even thought the registration email went to my inbox. The wonders of google mail.
Cheers
Cool, and free beer tokens included I trust 🙂
APF